Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Black Cat Chieftain Stella
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Kane of the Black Cat Tribe felt the fur all over his body standing on end.
Imprisoned in the basement of Philip's villa, the moment Philip brought in a young woman with dark bluish hair, his heart started pounding like mad.
'That bitch... she has to be an instructor from the magic department...?'
His instincts, honed as an assassin, hadn't been able to block Philip's ambush, but they did let him sense that this woman was an utterly ridiculous monster.
"What is this thing? I feel a fallen, evil aura from it. I want to crush it to death right this instant."
Dragon Previa said the moment she laid eyes on Kane.
"We can't kill him, Lady Previa. There's a Black Cat Tribe chieftain named Stella who knows Nephen's location, or so he says."
Philip tried to dissuade her, but Previa just snorted derisively.
"Ha! Do you actually believe that?"
"You think I'd swallow it hook, line, and sinker? Well, it's probably true that the chieftain knows Nephen's location, but going in without any preparation would've made it hard to come back alive."
"...So that's why you came to me."
Previa chuckled in disbelief. She'd already decided to help him anyway, so she wasn't truly angry, and she rather liked Philip's audacity.
The very idea of seeking a dragon's help for something on this scale was beyond what any ordinary human would conceive.
"...Who is that woman?"
Kane, thoroughly cowed, let out a frightened mewl and curled his tail tightly.
"If you learn her identity, you'll have to die. Want to know?"
"No way..."
Kane hurriedly denied Philip's question.
"Then shut up and guide us to your chieftain nice and obediently."
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'Too damn convenient.'
Philip thought that as he gazed at Previa once more after using her portal again.
"What're you staring at?"
"Nothing."
Previa briefly surveyed their surroundings, noticed Philip's gaze, and snapped at him curtly. Her expression looked extremely annoyed, so Philip decided not to poke the bear.
The portal had taken them to a mountain range far from the academy.
"This way."
Bound up like a mummy, Black Cat Tribe Kane guided them with his tail. It seemed close by; after just a short trek, a thick fog enveloped them.
It was still the dead of night, so they could barely see a foot in front of them.
"A crude barrier. I could dispel it in one go, but they must've put it up for a reason."
Previa snapped her fingers as she spoke.
The fog split apart, clearing a path for them. Philip marveled at her absurd ability.
That fog had tried to deceive his senses the instant they encountered it—a barrier that scrambled direction sense, depth perception, and spatial awareness.
Beyond the fog lay a small village.
It looked utterly ordinary, like some rural village in a backwater territory with no notable specialties.
"Meeeooow."
"Wheeeong."
The only thing unusual was the sheer number of black cats. Kittens to full-grown ones lounged lazily atop fences or in the grass, each to its taste.
The cats sprang up like they'd been shocked the moment Philip and Previa entered the village, eyeing them warily.
"Hah!"
"Haaaak!"
Previa muttered in utter disbelief at the sight.
"They're too pathetic to even make me angry."
Philip found himself agreeing.
"Untie me. I'll guide you."
The bound Kane made the proposal. Philip hesitated for a moment. He had no idea what this pitch-black cat was scheming.
"Untie him."
But at Previa's command, he sliced through the ropes binding Kane with his dagger. He had no desire to clash with her over something this trivial.
Previa tapped Kane right between the eyes with her finger. Freed at last, Kane immediately wrapped his body in shadows and swiftly transformed into human form.
A man with shaggy hair and a unkempt beard appeared—and Neria let out a startled shriek.
—Eeeek! Gross!
"Kin, your tribesman Kane has returned. Where is the chieftain?"
"Kane?"
The cats tilted their heads at his sudden appearance. Moments later, they too shifted into human form.
In an instant, black-haired, black-eyed people surrounded him. Their clothes were ragged and filthy.
Shirts and pants patched together from scraps of cloth or leather.
The women wore skirts so short they barely covered their hips.
It didn't look like they were trying to flaunt beauty or sex appeal; it just seemed like a lack of fabric.
One man who appeared to be in his forties stepped forward from among them.
"Right, Kane. I remember you. You left the village on a mission from the chieftain... It's been over ten years with no word, so what's brought you crawling back now?"
Kane shot back as if he'd heard nonsense.
"I remember you too, Kulruin. What're you talking about? I left the village to become an assassin."
The man glared at Kane for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Looks like the chieftain's hunch was spot on. Take them down. That damned incubus must've done something horrible to our kin."
At the man's order, the surrounding Black Cat tribespeople bared their fangs and let out menacing growls.
"What the hell is this? I'm your tribesman. Sure, I left due to circumstances, but Black Cat blood flows through my veins. You can't do this to me."
Kane shouted in a panic.
Philip glanced at Previa. She shot him back a look brimming with irritation and annoyance.
"...Insolent vermin."
In the end, she couldn't suppress her rising frustration.
The moment Previa raised her hand, Philip felt an immense pressure bearing down from above. It was as if gravity had suddenly multiplied several times over.
"Ugh!"
"Aaaah!"
The Black Cat tribespeople screamed as they were slammed flat to the ground, as if a giant's hand were crushing them.
Terrified shrieks echoed from all directions.
Soon, the only ones left standing were Philip and Previa. He hadn't escaped the range of her magic, but he'd somehow managed to distribute the force and hold out.
"..."
Previa stared at Philip with a hint of intrigue for a moment before turning her gaze back to the Black Cat Tribe.
"If I crush you all flat right here, will that chieftain of yours show up?"
It was a brutally direct and effective way to handle things. Philip didn't think there was anything wrong with her approach. In this situation, it was one of the quickest ways to save time.
'...I'd have been in deep shit if I'd come alone.'
But it was still grueling to endure. If this lasted a few more minutes, even his knees would give out.
'Gravity magic, huh.'
It was one of the spells that those called archmages used to turn the tide of battle.
"Grk... Who... the hell are you?"
A middle-aged black-haired man crawled along the ground, struggling to look up at Previa.
"None of your business, vermin."
From her dismissive attitude toward the man, Philip realized he was receiving ridiculously special treatment.
She seemed like the type who showed no favor to those she deemed worthless.
Her innate nature wasn't cruel enough to disregard life itself, but she wouldn't go out of her way to be kind, either.
Soon, a black cat pushed its way through alleys and fences. Compared to the others, its fur gleamed more lustrously, its body slimmer, its face prettier.
The cat was instantly enveloped in shadows and transformed into human form.
It was a woman in her late twenties with long black hair.
"I! I am Stella, chieftain of the Black Cat Tribe. Noble one, please, have mercy and stop this!"
Quick on the uptake, she halted just outside the gravity magic's range and immediately dropped to her knees. Previa snorted with a hmpf before snapping her fingers.
The crushing pressure vanished.
The Black Cat tribespeople, finally able to rise, stared at Previa with eyes full of fear and awe.
"You're the Black Cat chieftain? Your face rings a bell. A girl who looked like you came to see me once. Teruin, was it?"
Previa nodded slightly upon seeing Stella's face, as if recalling something.
"...Teruin is my grandmother. Which means you must be a dragon. This lowly creature is deeply honored to meet the Harmonizer of the World."
Previa looked pleased at Stella's utterly subservient posture. Her gaze flicked toward Philip.
"See? That's how vermin ought to treat a great dragon."
Philip nodded.
"I see."
Previa glared at his response, clearly displeased. Of course, Philip had no intention of fawning over her as she wished.
He figured she'd forgive a bit of cheekiness anyway.
"I don't know what brings you to our village, but just say the word, and we'll devote ourselves fully to your aid. Allow me to escort you somewhere comfortable..."
"Very well."
At Previa's permission, Stella guided Philip and her to her own home.
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"We've come here to find out the location of Crescent's leader, Nephen. This Black Cat tribesman said that if it was you, you'd know."
Seated by the warm fireplace, Philip explained the situation to her while sipping the tea she'd offered.
"..."
She said nothing, merely casting a glance at the bound Kane.
"...Kane. Doesn't seeing me jog your memory?"
"Chieftain? What do you mean?"
Kane tilted his head in genuine confusion. Stella let out a soft sigh at the sight.
"You're brainwashed after all. Kane, ten years ago, you infiltrated Crescent at my request. To rescue Tania, who'd been taken hostage. Ring any bells?"
"What? No, I was dispatched... to maintain friendly relations between Crescent and the Black Cat Tribe..."
Mid-sentence, Kane suddenly clutched his head and writhed in agony from a splitting headache.
"My head! Aaaah!"
"Quiet."
Previa pointed a finger at him, and he instantly fell into a deep sleep, frozen mid-writhe. Twin streams of blood trickled from his nostrils.
"He's caught in a restraint woven from black magic. Leave him like this, and he'll die."
"Just as I feared..."
Chieftain Stella gazed sadly at Kane.
"He was a proud warrior who'd protected the tribe since I was a child. Ten years ago, when my niece Tania—who was set to succeed me as chieftain—was kidnapped by Crescent, he volunteered to go save her."
Sensing a tragic backstory unfolding, Previa cut in impatiently.
"So, do you know where this Nephen is or not?"
'Jeez, how long does it take to just ask that?'
Philip, who'd been mildly curious about her tale, felt a twinge of disappointment as he awaited Stella's answer.
"...Nephen. I don't know his exact location. He has countless hideouts, and I've only managed to learn three of them."
Chieftain Stella answered cautiously. Philip could tell Previa's irritation was about to hit its limit.
"So in the end, this one lied to me."
As she seemed poised to kill Kane, Stella hurriedly intervened.
"Please wait! There is a way. I'll serve as bait. Nephen's always had his eye on me. That cursed demon has targeted the Black Cat Tribe for twenty years, all to make me his maidservant. If I show myself, he'll definitely appear."
Philip looked at Stella.
Her eyes burned with a strange resolve.
'She had some plan in the works, and now that we're here, she's going all-in on a gamble?'
Given her own backstory, she must have been plotting something all this time.
'Her successor chieftain got kidnapped, and the whole tribe's hiding deep in the mountains to evade Crescent's gaze.'
If Philip were in her shoes, he'd have washed his hands of the whole mess long ago.
"...This idiot, that girl—what do you take me for, thinking you can just use me like a tool?"
Previa's eyelid twitched. Philip quickly soothed her.
"Come on, don't be like that. Aren't you helping me out anyway?"
"My goal isn't helping you—it's turning that filthy incubus Nephen to dust. I'm only going along with your methods out of simple goodwill, nothing more or less. You'd do well not to take my goodwill so lightly."
Philip grasped the implication of her warning.
'Even cuteness has its limits.'
It was also a way of saying not to treat her like a mere sidekick. Philip had no such intentions, of course.
"Who knows? Someday I might be the one helping you. And when that day comes, I'll aid you without asking for any reward, Lady Previa."
Previa let out a sigh at his words.
"Ah, fine. If you master Moonlight Sword, that day might come. So, Black Cat chieftain—what exactly do you plan to do?"
Stella swallowed hard before answering.
"I'll gather every last one who can fight and raid Crescent's base. Nephen will surely show himself then."
Philip had his doubts about her plan to go straight for their stronghold.
'Is this really the way?'
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